


The Edge of the Forest

by MelayneSeahawk



Series: Good Omens Kink Meme [17]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bugs, Alternate Universe - Fae, Bee Aziraphale, Good Omens Kink Meme, I Did the Research and Then I Ignored It, M/M, Spider Crowley, Strawberries, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelayneSeahawk/pseuds/MelayneSeahawk
Summary: At the edge of the forest, angel bumblebee Aziraphale makes a friend.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Good Omens Kink Meme [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535939
Comments: 12
Kudos: 98
Collections: Good Omens Kink Meme





	The Edge of the Forest

**Author's Note:**

> written for the [Good Omens Kink Meme](https://good-omens-kink.dreamwidth.org/) on dreamwidth, prompt: [bumblebee fairy Aziraphale and spider fairy Crowley](https://good-omens-kink.dreamwidth.org/3161.html?thread=2710873#cmt2710873)
> 
> unbetaed

Aziraphale flitted among the flowers in the meadow, filling his basket with pollen grains to bring back to the colony. It was a lovely summer day, the sun glinting off the golden fuzz on his head and haunches, the flower-filled meadow full of buzzing angel bees going about their work. Aziraphale allowed himself a tiny sip of nectar when he thought no one was looking, reveling in its sweet taste. Angel bees were not supposed to have nectar; Gabriel, the chief drone, thought it was too much of an indulgence for regular worker bees like Aziraphale. Only the archangel drones and the Queen were allowed to have it; workers were expected to make do with pollen alone.

He didn’t notice how close he’d gotten to the woods surrounding the meadow until a dark shadow fell across his path and he looked up, startled. An intricate web stretched between two nearby trees, and in its center was a demon spider, his arms crossed over his slim chest, his many legs delicately balanced on the web’s thin strands. “What are you doing so close to the forest, little bumblebee?” the spider asked, fingers tapping in a way that felt menacing to Aziraphale.

The angel bee clutched his basket to his chest, heedless of the grains that spilled from its sides. “I didn’t mean to!” he cried out, stuttering a little. He made to fly away, but the spider held out a hand.

“Wait, I won’t hurt you,” the spider said. “Just not used to your kind coming this close.”

“We’re not supposed to,” Aziraphale said, wings fluttering in distress. “It’s not safe. I’m going to get in so much trouble.”

“Fly away, then,” the spider said, tone dismissive, but there was something else in his amber eyes. “Not like you belong here where it’s dark, anyway.”

Aziraphale hesitated. Part of him wanted to flee, but the spider seemed...almost lonely, somehow, and Aziraphale could certainly relate to that. “What’s your name?” he asked, after steeling himself to remain.

“Crowley,” the spider said, shifting back and forth on his web in a way that seemed almost uncomfortable.

“I’m Aziraphale,” he replied. “Oh, I should go, it’s getting late. But it was nice to meet you!”

Crowley scoffed. “You’re terrified of me,” he pointed out.

“I don’t know, you seem nice enough,” Aziraphale said. Certainly not like the terrible stories he’d been told when he was a larvae about the denizens of the forest.

Crowley grimaced, baring dangerous-looking fangs. “You don’t know me, little bee,” he said, but Aziraphale got the sense he was putting on an act, trying to look tough. It reminded him of when the drones occasionally competed for dominance amongst each other.

“Goodbye, Crowley,” Aziraphale said, with a little wave, and then took off toward the colony, a hive built into a hillock in the center of the meadow. The sun was setting, and it was time to go home

***

Aziraphale found himself drawn to the edge of the forest again the next day, hoping he would see Crowley again. He still collected pollen like he was supposed to, but he moved with purpose in the direction of the edge of the meadow. He knew he should be afraid of the dark forest, of its dangerous denizens, but there was something about Crowley that felt familiar, that called to Aziraphale’s own lonely soul.

Angel bees were supposed to be community-minded, content and complete with each other’s company alone, but Aziraphale had always felt so lonely, even surrounded by his kin. It didn’t help that the others picked on him, for the dullness of his stripes and the roundness of his belly, and the fact that he’d rather spend his free time daydreaming stories to himself rather than dancing complex patterns with the other angel bees in the sun. Sometimes he wondered if he’d be better off alone, but everything he’d ever been told said that angel bees couldn’t survive without a colony.

Aziraphale reached the edge of the meadow when the sun was high in the sky, but while Crowley’s web was still there, the demon spider was nowhere to be seen. Aziraphale pouted despite himself, attempting to peer into the darkness beneath the trees to see if Crowley was hiding somewhere among the leaves and shadows. But just as he was about to give up hope and head back toward sunnier parts of the meadow, he heard a voice behind him.

“Hello, angel.” Crowley’s voice came from behind him, in the meadow, and Aziraphale almost fell off the flower he was perched on.

“Crowley!” he said, spinning around to face the spider. Crowley was tucked into the shade under a large daisy, hidden from any predatory birds, or from inattentive angel bees. “What are you doing out here?”

“Thought I’d see how the other half lived,” he said breezily, legs carrying him along the ground until he was among the trees again. Aziraphale followed him, feeling almost helpless, stopping just before he entered full shade to watch Crowley skitter up the tree and back into the center of his web. “I don’t think I like it.”

“Well, it’s not exactly safe for you, is it?” Aziraphale asked. He landed on the flower closest to the forest’s edge and set down his basket, his wings shifting every so often to keep him balanced. “Just like it’s not safe for me in there.”

Crowley shrugged, an oddly elegant gesture, and frowned. “As long as you watch where you’re going, you’ll be fine. Just don’t fly into any webs, little bee,” he added, baring sharp fangs. Aziraphale shrunk back a little, and Crowley shook his head. “There are all sorts of creepy crawly demon bugs deeper in the woods, but the edges are for outcasts like me.”

“Outcasts?” Aziraphale asked, perking up a little. Crowley turned his head away, and it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything more on the subject. “I don’t fit in with my colony, either,” Aziraphale offered, hoping it might encourage Crowley to open up some.

“I know,” Crowley said, surprising him, but at least he was looking at Aziraphale again, golden eyes luminous. “They’re not very kind to you. Especially that prick, Gabriel.”

“How do you know about that?” Aziraphale asked. Drones like Gabriel rarely left the hive, but he did occasionally come out into the meadow, if only to berate workers like Aziraphale. Mostly Aziraphale, actually.

“I’ve watched you,” Crowley said, a little self-consciousness creeping into his tone and posture. “I’ve never seen a lonely angel bee before, but I guess I can understand why you would be.”

“I’m not lonely!” Aziraphale lied, shooting up from the flower with a huff.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Crowley said quickly, holding out his hands in a placating manner. “I just...ngk, nevermind.” Aziraphale decided not to leave after all, and Crowley seemed to relax a little. “Anyway, I wanted to show you something. Come with me.” He edged carefully along his web again and onto the tree itself, moving along the branches almost as quickly as Aziraphale could fly. He looked back when he realized Aziraphale wasn’t following. “Are you coming, or what?”

“Alright,” Aziraphale said hesitantly, watching carefully for the glimmer of a thread of webbing as he followed Crowley along the side of the tree and into the shade proper. He must be mad, leaving the meadow and following a demon spider, of all things, but despite Crowley’s gruffness and occasional posturing, Aziraphale felt he could trust him somehow.

The sunlight was still visible through the trees when Crowley stopped, moving down from a tree onto a low shrub dotted with red berries almost as large as Aziraphale. The angel bee hesitantly flew closer, drawn to the sweet smell in the air. “Alpine strawberries,” Crowley said, digging a hand into the side of one of the berries and ripping off a chunk. He held it out to Aziraphale. “Here, try it.”

Aziraphale watched him warily for a long moment, trying to see what the trick was. Eventually, though, he could no longer resist temptation and flitted forward, snatching the chunk of fruit from Crowley’s outstretched hand before darting out of reach again. Eyes still on Crowley, he brought the fruit up to his face and breathed in deeply. It smelled lovely, sweet and fresh and just a little bit tart, but he was still hesitant to put it in his mouth.

Crowley rolled his eyes and ripped off another piece of the berry, shoving a large portion of it into his mouth. “See?” he said, voice garbled as he chewed. “It’s good.” Aziraphale steeled himself and took a bite.

Delicious flavor burst over his tongue, like nectar but even better, sweeter and more complex. He moaned a little, despite himself, and Crowley flushed. “Crowley, this is scrummy!” he exclaimed, taking another bite, heedless of the juice he was getting all over his face.

“Thought you’d like it,” Crowley said quietly, staring at him. “Figured you could use something more interesting than  _ pollen _ all the time.”

“How do you even know about this?” Aziraphale asked. He finished the chunk of strawberry in his hands and darted forward to grab another piece. It put him within reach of Crowley, but the demon spider didn’t even move.

Crowley looked away. “I don’t like eating other bugs,” he said softly, like he was admitting a terrible secret. “So I have to eat something else, don’t I?”

Aziraphale stopped eating, shocked. He’d never heard of a spider that didn’t eat other bugs. “Is that why you’re alone?” he asked softly, and Crowley nodded once, jerking his head hard enough that Aziraphale winced. He watched as Crowley ripped off another piece of strawberry and ate it in a few vicious bites. “I don’t fit in with the rest of my colony, either,” Aziraphale admitted quietly. “I like to tell stories. Not that I have anyone to tell them to.”

“Oh?” Crowley asked, leaning against a stalk of the strawberry plant. “Tell me a story, angel bee.”

Aziraphale perked up immediately. He’d never had someone  _ ask _ him to tell them a story before. “Well,” he started, excitement clear in his voice. “Once upon a time, there was a squirrel with no tail…”

***

Aziraphale flew to the edge of the meadow almost every day to eat strawberries with Crowley and tell stories. At first, he was worried that the demon spider was just humoring him, but it seemed like Crowley actually liked his stories, and sometimes even made up some of his own. Hearing Crowley’s stories was even better than telling the stories he came up with.

Crowley also told him about other parts of the forest, places he told Aziraphale that it wouldn’t be safe for the angel bee to go, even with Crowley with him. It was a completely different world, there under the trees, and it frightened and thrilled Aziraphale in equal measure. He had his own experiences to share, like the good parts of living with others in a colony, and about the river on the far side of the meadow. They talked so much, Aziraphale sometimes almost forgot to fill his basket with pollen to bring back to the colony.

“I don’t know what you’re wasting your time with all day,” Gabriel told him one day, when Aziraphale came back once again with an almost empty basket. “But you’ve got to pull your weight around here.” Aziraphale hung his head in shame, thinking longingly of his carefree time spent with Crowley.

He spent the next few days avoiding the forest, staying close to the colony and filling his basket multiple times a day, to make up for slacking. But he missed Crowley fiercely, so eventually he made his way back to Crowley’s web, hoping the spider demon hadn’t moved.

Crowley was still there, and he all but jumped from his web to a nearby flower when Aziraphale approached, wrapping his slim arms around the angel bee. Aziraphale stiffened, unfamiliar with this kind of touch, and then collapsed into it, dropping his basket so he could bring his arms up as well. They held each other for a long time, before reluctantly separating. Crowley held him at arm's length, and looked him over as if looking for injuries. “Where were you, angel?” he asked finally. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Aziraphale said, embarrassed. He sat down on the flower, and Crowley joined him, folding his many legs up under him to do so. “I got in trouble for not being useful to the colony.” Crowley scoffed, and Aziraphale shook his head. “No, it’s true. I’m selfish, spending all my time with you. I tried to stay away, but I just couldn’t.”

“You could stay here with me,” Crowley said in a rush, and Aziraphale looked up at him quickly. “They don’t deserve you, anyway. It could be just the two of us, a spider that doesn’t eat bugs and a bee without a colony. Our side.”

“Our side,” Aziraphale repeated softly. “I don’t know, Crowley. Bees aren’t meant to be alone.”

“You wouldn’t be alone,” Crowley said. He reached out and took Aziraphale’s hand, holding it tightly. “You’d have me.”

Aziraphale looked at their clasped hands and smiled. “Yes, I would, wouldn’t I?” he said. He looked up, over the meadow, at the angel bees buzzing between the flowers, none of whom would probably care if he never came back. “I’ll stay,” he decided.

Crowley grinned, brighter than the sun. “Can I kiss you, angel?” he asked.

“Yes, I think I’d like that very much,” Aziraphale said, turning to him. Crowley ran the fingers of his free hand through Aziraphale’s fluffy curls and then pulled him in for a kiss. “Wonderful,” he said, when they separated for air. “Simply wonderful, darling.”

“We’ll have to build you a little hive of your own,” Crowley said, leaning into Aziraphale’s side. “Maybe some leaves and sticks, held together with my webs. What do you say?”

“I’m sure it will be lovely,” Aziraphale said, focused on Crowley’s shoulder against his own and their fingers tangled together. He wasn’t worried about the future, he realized, now that he’d taken the leap. He wondered if any of the other angel bees would even notice that he was gone. “It has to be, it’ll be you and me.” Crowley nuzzled against his cheek, and he smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> [reblog link](https://melayneseahawk.tumblr.com/post/623206062499168256/the-edge-of-the-forest-melayneseahawk-good)
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://melayneseahawk.tumblr.com/)!


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